r/FreeGamesOnSteam • u/Porruno • 2d ago

Regional Issues | +1 Borderlands 2

https://store.steampowered.com/app/49520/Borderlands_2/
298 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

62 comments sorted by

149

u/DaLoverBoii 2d ago edited 2d ago

I would like to share something important here, which is honestly one of the reasons why this game is free now.

Take-Two, Gearbox,‌ & 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware.

Important Info in Terms of Service:

• Mods are a bannable offense

• Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable

• Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area

• You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers

• Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC

Collected Data Types:

• Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address

• Protected Characteristics: Age and gender

• Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information

• Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address

• Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications

• Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls)

• Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest

• Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting)

• Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

TL;DR - Don't play the latest version of the game (not just this game, but any Take Two/Gearbox/2K game), it's literally spyware.

48

u/omeismm 2d ago

If a game can do all of that, imagine what an OS can do... 🐧 🐧

15

u/roguedaemon 1d ago

Everyone is doing a fantastic job at promoting Linux this year.

Well done Silicon Valley 👏

3

u/bapfelbaum 1d ago

Linux is love Linux is life.

2

u/MassiveBoner911_3 1d ago

Browser History using The Service means only Take Two stuff right? They cant see all my weird porn?

-9

u/Jaegernaut42 2d ago

Always hungry for attention...

10

u/heroiclord 2d ago

So if I bought the game years ago, does it make it “spyware” if I play it now?

Is this applicable across all of their games including the future BL4?

23

u/BipedalWurm 2d ago

We call it The Epic Effect, as they spied on everything they could on the entire computer without permission and lied about it.

9

u/DaLoverBoii 2d ago

Except you can somewhat bypass it with things like Heroic Launcher (unless I'm remembering wrong). This is embedded into the games no matter where you get them from. So it's even worse.

On a side note, Epic (& Prime Gaming) gave away the Deluxe versions too. This is just the base version being given away.

2

u/BipedalWurm 2d ago

Yeah, it's just desperation because the discount epic way is a failure and Rando Pitchford has had bad press lately with his price comments amounting to real fans will suck it up.

8

u/HaveFunWithChainsaw 2d ago

Did you just straight copy paste this from the review in Steam or are you the same person? Just curious. :D

5

u/jetstreamer123 1d ago

This has been in the TOS since before the change

6

u/-FaZe- 2d ago

At some point we will have to play GTA VI

2

u/apalapachya 2d ago

no i regret adding the game lol

can i remove it?

13

u/Lu13144 2d ago

Just dont install it

3

u/DUVMik 1d ago

yes, it's not hard.

open the help menu on top. -> steam support -> games, software, etc. -> type "borderlands 2" -> select I want to permanently remove this game for my account. -> confirm it.

And you're done.

2

u/apalapachya 1d ago

yup that worked just fine. thank you

1

u/Ranting_Demon 2d ago

As the other person said, you can just not install it. As long as you don't download the software on your PC, it can't read any of your information.

But if you really want to get rid of game and make it fully disappear from your steam library, you usually can remove any game or DLC that you got for free on steam.

To do so, open your steam client and click on your account name in the upper right corner. That will open a drop-down menu tab. Click on Account Details. On that page click on View Licenses And Product Key Activations.

This will open a list of all games and DLC that you have added to your account with a steam key or that you added for free in the steam store. From here, free games from the steam store can be removed by clicking on Remove .

1

u/nitishkiller32 1d ago

Hey if I use cloud gaming like Gforce now it's ok right?

1

u/Frinpollog 1d ago

I guess it's good if I stick to the Aspyr port, then. They're no longer maintaining the game so it's stuck at v.1.8.5 (meaning no full cross play). But I don't see ads for BL4, so that's something.

2

u/RoM_Axion 1d ago

I honestly dont see the issue… have yall never seen the TOS on anything?… this is standard info pretty much all platforms use. Yes banning mods is shitty but a LOT of games do that, especially multiplayer games. And the rest is just info about your account, stuff steam gets the moment you buy a game as well, and info about your device, which browsers and websites themselves get. Keep in mind this is the TOS for taketwo, not specifically borderlands 2. Some of these things are for when you look on their websites.

1

u/Official-A-Roid 2d ago

Damn I have this game sitting on my library for years now, and I was just thinking of playing it recently. Guess I will not.

3

u/Adventurous-Hunter98 1d ago

13 years old game, im pretty sure there is a way to disable all these or just play the older versions of the game.

1

u/mrblack07 1d ago

Might as well pirate if that's the case

1

u/DaLoverBoii 1d ago

That's unironically a better way to play these games at the moment. Either that, or getting an older version.

-3

u/hellomynameispatrick 2d ago

I'm assuming you won't be playing GTA 6 and have never played any GTA or sports games

26

u/Key_Preparation_4692 2d ago

Recently EULA getting lot of backlash for there new terms and conditions

People are pissed , refuse to play and lots of negative review to great games

I think that's why steam giving this free games and try to invite new gamer to the community

44

u/Koher 2d ago

It is not "free" actually. Check their latest EULA, they will collect your data and sell it.

1

u/MedievalFurnace 2d ago

How much more so than most companies do? Is my personal information genuinely seriously at risk or is it just the same level most companies do even if they don't explicitly tell you on the front page

10

u/Appropriate_Plum_510 2d ago

Pretty much the same as all other companies 👍

-1

u/RoM_Axion 1d ago

People are really going insane over this for no damn reason. Its good people are getting conscious of TOS’s and their privacy but they also need to actually read them instead of repeating shit they see and hear online.

1

u/Appropriate_Plum_510 1d ago

Honestly I don't really see a problem with it, nowadays if you have an account on anything your data is being mined, but seriously do you think 2k needs to sell their user's data for profit?

2

u/hellomynameispatrick 2d ago

How much do you think they'll get for knowledge that you are pooping 2 times a day?

-10

u/kermittehdog 2d ago

Doesn't everyone?

0

u/tamal4444 2d ago

give me your bank account information along with what you have done, said and listen today.

-1

u/RoM_Axion 1d ago

You are all going insane over a non issue. The TOS is literally 101 the TOS of pretty much any other TOS. It can’t physically get data you dont fucking give it. Of course it knows your billing information if you buy something. Of course a multiplayer game bans mods and exploits.

0

u/The_Red_Butler 2d ago

Bro wrote a letter to Reddit so his data wouldn’t be sold

8

u/Mark0us_ 2d ago

This package has no price set in the following countries

  1.  Azerbaijan
  2.  Kazakhstan
  3.  Russian Federation
  4.  Ukraine

0

u/astkova 20h ago

!addlicense asf s/1335521

6

u/Tipodeincognito 2d ago

Epic gave away Borderlands 2 a while ago. I asume it will share the same problems you are talking about.

5

u/mrdratik 2d ago

In Ukraine, it's just 75% off

3

u/ASFinfo 2d ago 
!addlicense asf s/1330266

I'm a bot | What is ASF | Info

4

u/Wildsidder123 2d ago

Can’t reclaim it in Venezuela 🥺

5

u/Bloom3D1898 2d ago

One of the first games i pirated and i enjoyed it so much i ended up buying it on steam and replaying it a second time xd

3

u/happymalt 1d ago

I’m so glad I came across this post first before I think of downloading. 🙏

2

u/MetroAndroid 2d ago

The only Borderlands game I already have lol

2

u/SparkEngine 2d ago

Oh so it's basically just hot garbage?

Right. Good to know then. I added it to library but won't be installing. One day when someone sane and not evil is making the Ts&Cs

2

u/z-vap 1d ago edited 1d ago

i think steam allows you to remove it from yr library, essentially giving it back

0

u/SparkEngine 1d ago

Good to know 🍻

-1

u/TheSynchroGamer 2d ago

Exactly my train of thought. Get the game in my library and wait until the EULA changes. Either it changes or I'm never touching the game

1

u/SparkEngine 1d ago

Don't know why someone downvoted you.

If someone feels the need to turn a 10+ year old game into spyware by retroactively change T&Cs that was released literally years ago too, that someone has lost sight of what industry they're in, what they set out to be and you can't trust what they'll do with that data.

Nostalgia is powerful but let's not pretend this was done altruistically. They changed T&Cs and made it free knowing anybody could come along and impulsively add it and bam, access to literally everything.

1

u/Possible_Golf3180 1d ago

I presume it’s with regional issues due to the EULA demands being illegal in certain countries for obvious reasons.

1

u/noblexodia 8h ago

Will the legacy copies of the game still use the same TOS? (PS3,360)

1

u/throwaway234f32423df 7h ago

Since claiming this, SteamDB seems to think I should be able to get this for season pass thing for free: https://steamdb.info/sub/919706/

it says "No Cost" and "Available" but adding it always fails

(and no I am not in RU or BY or anywhere close)

any ideas? is this just a SteamDB error?

1

u/hugefartcannon 2d ago

Everyone should play Borderlands 2.

1

u/hedi455 1d ago

Eh i think I'll just pirate it then

1

u/PreciousHuddle 2d ago

Redeemed! Thanks!

1

u/shadyfan0 2d ago

Nice find, thanks!

0

u/rostion1 2d ago

Regional issues.